


the path of devotion

by vriskawa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, No Romantic Relationships (Officially), Oikawa goes to Shiratorizawa, SPOILERS FOR STORY IN TAGS!!!, i fully agree with ushijima when he said that he and oikawa would be unbeatable, shiratorizawa!oikawa, switching POV, team swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vriskawa/pseuds/vriskawa
Summary: “Hey, Kageyama,” Nishinoya started, swallowing the last bit of his meat bun, “didn’t you go to the same middle school as Shiratorizawa’s setter? Oikawa, was it?”His entire body tensed for a second. “Yeah.” He managed to get out. Everyone knew middle school was a sore subject for him, yet Nishinoya brought it up like it was the weather.“So… what’s he like? I remember having to receive his serves in middle school, but that’s all I ever knew about him.”Kageyama paused. “He’s an asshole,” he said shortly. “Iwaizumi was way nicer.”
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Implied Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru - Relationship, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Sugawara Koushi, Oikawa Tooru & Tendou Satori, Oikawa Tooru & Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 134





	the path of devotion

**Author's Note:**

> hi! 
> 
> this is my first time posting fanfiction to ao3 in years and i’ve made a new account for it! (i won’t share the old one bc i didn’t wanna delete my old work on there in case anyone wanted it to be available but i’m SO embarrassed by it.) haikyuu is such a fixation for me right now, and this concept (oikawa at shiratorizawa) is living in my mind rent free at this point. but the market for this au is so tiny, and if you can’t find it, write it, you know? 
> 
> i also have ideas for other team swaps and maybe a multi chap based on this one shot but it depends on how this does and how i feel about it later. i hope you enjoy! 
> 
> thank you to my two betas, close friends, A and M.

The snack of a volleyball against the wooden floor of the court reverberated around the open room. A hush quietly fell over the stands for a second before one side was screaming, cheering for their victorious team.

Karasuno’s team rushed into a group hug right there on the court. Finally, they had managed to defeat the team that had eliminated them in the last tournament. They would go to the finals, have a shot at the spring nationals tournament.

Kageyama allowed himself to smile as Sugawara jumped on him from behind, joyfully ruffling his hair. He swept his eyes across the court and accidentally locked eyes with someone glaring at him through teary eyes.

The ace and captain of the opposite team, his former senpai. Iwaizumi Hajime.

With as much dignity as he could muster, Iwaizumi turned back towards his team. Through the screaming of his own team, Kageyama could barely hear the captain announce, “Alright, everyone, let’s line up.”

—

Somewhere in the stands, two boys in white and purple athletic jackets sized up their new challengers with mild interest, one more indifferent and one more annoyed.

“We will still emerge victorious, regardless of which team we play in the finals,” one of them said, as if sensing the agitated energy around him.

A shallow chuckle. “I wonder if we could pull off that annoying little quick the shortie and Tobio-chan have there.”

—

Coach Ukai watched with concealed anxiety as his team crumbled with nerves. Though this wasn’t anyone’s first tournament, he couldn’t blame them for being nervous. After all, this was the make or break line, and their opponents were fierce.

To get to nationals, Karasuno would have to break through Shiratorizawa Academy.

He remembered last night after their victory; he led the boys back to their gym and allowed them to clean up before calling a team meeting and discussing all the info they could on their opponent. Little did he know, in a dorm room somewhere else in Miyagi, a pair of wide brown eyes were sizing them up, too.

—

“Alright, listen up, everyone!” Coach Ukai called, and the light chatter stopped. Twelve pairs of eyes stared up at him from the gymnasium floor. Everyone was already holding booklets about the Shiratorizawa team prepared by the managers, opened to the first page.

“I’ll try to make this quick so you all can go home and rest. Basically, if Aoba Johsai was the most complete team in the prefecture, Shiratorizawa is the most incomplete.”

Kageyama’s brow furrowed. _Would he really allow that?_

“Their main strategy is to set really high to their wing spikers, especially their ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi— one of the top three aces in the nation.”

Most of the team already knew about Ushijima, but it was still unnerving to be reminded what they were about to go up against. Ushijima’s intimidating stare bore through them all, glaring up from the booklet and behind their eyes. Next to him, Hinata’s hands bunched into fists.

“But Ushijima isn’t the only one to watch on the team,” Kageyama muttered, and Ukai’s gaze locked on him, startled.

“Yeah, Kageyama, you’re right. Their entire team is made up of hand-picked elite players, specialists in their position. Even their benchwarmers are terrifying in a game.” Ukai explained, flipping his note page. The team followed his lead. “Their star middle blocker, Tendou Satori, practices a rare form of blocking, called guess blocking.”

“Guess blocking?” Hinata asked. Kageyama resisted the urge to whack him.

Ukai explained, “Basically, he just jumps where he thinks the ball is going to go. Totally based on intuition. There’s a reason he’s called “Guess Monster”, though. His intuition is scarily accurate.”

“And finally, the last player to watch is their setter. He has a reputation of psychologically manipulating his opponents to his team’s advantage. Precision sets and an impressive monster serve make Oikawa Tooru a formidable opponent, along with his fellow third years.”

Kageyama glared holes in the floor.

—

After the meeting, Coach Ukai let them go, and they marched home in groups. Kageyama found himself with Hinata, Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Sugawara as Yamaguchi and Tsukishima split off towards their own neighborhood.

Hinata munched loudly on his meat bun next to him. “I wonder what tomorrow’s game is going to be like,” he wondered through his full mouth.

“Shiratorizawa’s pretty strong,” Sugawara said lightly, but his face was pinched. Kageyama couldn’t help scowling again. Why did they have to keep talking about it? Everyone already knew Shiratorizawa was strong. Kageyama had applied there and even gotten rejected. Talking about them and about tomorrow wouldn’t change a thing.

“Hey, Kageyama,” Nishinoya started, swallowing the last bit of his meat bun, “didn’t you go to the same middle school as Shiratorizawa’s setter? Oikawa, was it?”

His entire body tensed for a second. “Yeah.” He managed to get out. Everyone knew middle school was a sore subject for him, yet Nishinoya brought it up like it was the weather.

“So… what’s he like? I remember having to receive his serves in middle school, but that’s all I ever knew about him.”

Kageyama paused. “He’s an asshole,” he said shortly. “Iwaizumi was way nicer.”

“Iwaizumi like Seijoh-captain-Iwaizumi?!” Hinata asked, spitting out bits of meat bun.

“YEAH, STUPID, WHAT OTHER IWAIZUMI—“

—

Hinata felt like he was gonna throw up. He wasn’t nervous, it’s just that his stomach wouldn’t settle! Yeah! And no one judged him when he took off for the bathroom when they made it to the stadium. Nope.

Quickly, he found himself lost in the throng of people and tried to find some bathroom signs. But just as he caught sight of one, he also heard a familiar voice.

“Tooru— Oikawa, fuck,” a gruff voice near-hissed.

“Iwa-chan, could you be more obvious?!” A higher pitched one replied, sounding both a bit annoyed and a bit startled.

“Listen here, asshole, I’m trying to help you!” Hinata came into view and saw Iwaizumi Hajime — the captain of the team we just defeated, his mind helpfully reminded him — in plainclothes next to a boy in a purple and white jacket.

“Maybe you should have focused on your team, Captain, and it would be you out there facing us instead of those _flightless crows_.” The boy was tall, with swoopy brown hair and a charming face. “Remember the promise we made, or did you just not mean it?!”

Hinata suddenly remembered where he had seen Tooru Oikawa before.

_“Tooru Oikawa’s favorite food is milk bread! His personal motto is, if you’re gonna hit it, then — hit it til it BREAKS?! ARGGHHH—“ Tanaka’s previously mocking voice twisted up into a frustrated shout. “I HATE THAT GUY!”_

_“HEY! QUIET!” Daichi bellowed, entering the gym. “Let’s lock up for the night, and Tanaka, stop ogling the magazine!”_

_“I wasn’t OGLING—“ Tanaka protested, but Suga whacked him and snatched the magazine._

_“Woah, this dude’s got a whole magazine spread about him. Figures, if he’s such a great setter and all that.” Suga examined the interview and pictures. “Shiratorizawa sure is intimidating.”_

_Beside Hinata, who was raptly watching the scene unfold, Kageyama huffed, probably upset at not being called “the best setter in Miyagi Prefecture,” like this Tooru Oikawa was._

Well, regardless of how terrifying he was, Hinata didn’t appreciate anyone calling them flightless crows. They weren’t flightless crows anymore, and they would show Shiratorizawa why! Hinata made a beeline for them.

“They’re different this year, Shittykawa, it’s not just Kageyama, it’s —“

Hinata felt the second Oikawa’s eyes landed on him because a chill sped straight down his back. “Ah, speaking of Karasuno!” The setter crowed, interrupting Iwaizumi, who looked incredibly pissed. Hinata wasn’t sure if it was at Oikawa or at him.

“Uh! Grand King! Excuse me— I need to get to the- the bathroom, and you’re blocking the door! And uh, we aren’t flightless crows anymore—!” Hinata stumbled out, less confident in a confrontation without his teammates to back him up. “We’re gonna beat you!”

Oikawa looked slightly interested now, whereas before his eyes seemed to stare straight through Hinata. “What did you just call me?”

Hinata felt his entire face flush with humiliation. Would he always be cursed to embarrass himself in front of his opponents?!

“Well, uh, Kageyama — he said you were his senior in middle school, and he’s like. He was! Was the King, you know— and I thought, if you taught him, that must make you the Grand King—!”

Oikawa let out some kind of amused sound, but it quickly turned into some type of indignant squawk when Iwaizumi muttered next to him, something that sounded suspiciously like, “Yeah, right.”

“Well, little crow, I welcome you to try your best to fulfill your promise,” Oikawa said, arms slightly spread, voice lofty. Next to them, Iwaizumi flinched.

Hinata steeled himself and glared. “We will. We’re gonna take you down and go to nationals!”

“Hm,” Oikawa waved dismissively, still looking just slightly entertained, like he was watching a particularly cute cat meow insistently. “Well, considering how you called me Grand King just now, I assume you know what work that entails. Give it your best shot, as I said.”

Iwaizumi growled next to them. “Don’t underestimate them, Cockykawa.” With that, he stormed off. Oikawa gave him one last appraising glance, then stalked off in a different direction. No goodbye was offered to Hinata.

 _Is Iwaizumi on Shiratorizawa’s side or not?_ Hinata wondered, rushing into the now-free bathroom as, now that the danger had passed, his need hit him again full force.

—

“They’re late.” Sugawara said, looking towards the opposite gym entrance with trepidation.

“They must be taking their goddamn sweet time,” Daichi frowned, disapproving.

Hinata perked up, startling Kageyama into looking at him. “They’re here,” he breathed.

Before Kageyama could even process, the doors were pushed open and in walked the Shiratorizawa Academy team, led by three third years in the front. They came to a stop several feet away from Karasuno, who were now flocked together defensively.

On one side, a boy with wild, spiked up red hair twisted around, craning to size up every member of their team. Kageyama saw Sugawara blocking Yamaguchi from view out of the corner of his vision. In the middle was the ace himself, face scarily blank, looking directly at Hinata. Kageyama gulped and slid his gaze further right, following the elbow resting on Ushijima’s shoulder to the one person he didn’t want to see.

“Yahoo, Tobio-chan!” Oikawa Tooru called, voice syrupy, waving a teasing hand at him. Kageyama’s body froze up. He looked the exact same as he had in middle school— older, sure, with sharper eyes, but otherwise the exact same. Hinata jumped.

“Hey, what’s the Shiratorizawa setter doing calling you Tobio-chan?!” he yelped, and Kageyama felt his entire face flush. Oikawa was sticking his tongue out at him, the bastard.

“Don’t repeat it, dumbass!” Kageyama shouted, turning to pull Hinata’s hair as the redhead kicked at him. Sugawara pulled the two of them apart quickly, but the moment was broken.

Oikawa laughed, clearly at him, and Kageyama bristled. The older setter brushed past him as the Shiratorizawa team broke apart to start warmups. “I look forward to beating you.” He murmured darkly, too quiet and quick to be overheard.

—

“Yahoo, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa called, again, this time from the other side of the net. They were matched up in their teams’ lineups, which Kageyama was currently regretting, even though he knew it would happen. “Ready to get crushed?”

With a cock of his brow, Kageyama snarked back, “Who says we won’t be crushing you?”

Oikawa’s face dropped into a scowl, mask slipping, before it was quickly plastered back on. “I’m going to enjoy this game.”

“Oikawa,” a deep, monotone voice called. “Calm yourself. There is no need—”

Oikawa turned, agitated, and stalked towards Ushijima, hushedly whispering something at the ace and captain. Kageyama tried to read Ushijima’s reactions — if the ace and setter of the team he was about to play got in a fight, it would make his job a lot easier — but it was no use. Ushijima had a reputation of almost being robotic, and this was why.

Tendou bounded up to them, launching himself into the air and landing with an arm wrapped around the shoulders of the two others, who lurched at the impact. Ushijima remained impassive, and Oikawa’s brow visibly ticked.

“Come on now, bros! We’re about to win another game and head off to our final year at Spring Nationals,” Tendou grinned, briefly making sharp eye contact with Kageyama, who flinched.

“Hey, we’re gonna beat you—“ Kageyama started, but the ref’s whistle cut him off. Tendou laughed in his face. Oikawa snorted haughtily.

“Sure you will, Tobio-chan!”

—

Sugawara tried not to let it show on his face, but he was getting kind of worried.

First, Nishinoya had to take time to adjust to a left-handed spike. That was fine, but it had taken nearly a third of the entire set, and honestly Nishinoya had done better than most liberos would have, but it still felt like each lost point was a shovel in the deepening dirt.

Second, it took awhile for the team to get on their game. Fumbles, miscommunications, drops that could have been picked up. It wasn’t going as well as it had against Seijoh yesterday; the pressure was clearly getting to all of them.

Third, it was clear why Ushijima was Shiratorizawa’s favored weapon. Their blockers weren’t able to stop any of his spikes. And Oikawa was setting to him significantly more than any other player, so it wasn’t even like they were taken by surprise.

It was such a simple plan of attack, really. Receive, set, a breathless call of “Ushijima!”. The others would get spikes, but only when Oikawa knew it would be detrimental to set to their ace. Yet, it worked— such a mindless plan of attack.

Sugawara could go on, but he could feel his bones sinking with the anxiety of panicking and not being able to do anything, stuck shoved off the court, so he recentered himself.

 _We can do this,_ he told himself, watching the scores climb closer and closer to match point. The gap wasn’t widening, but it wasn’t shrinking fast enough, either.

Desperately, he wished that he could be put in and make it shrink, but he knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea, probably.

Shiratorizawa takes the first set.

10-25.

—

The second set is slower, but better for Karasuno — they have time to catch up, fall into a rhythm, keep the score gap tighter.

Oikawa resists the urge to openly scowl. He can still feel his grin turn more feral, but he allows it.

Still, the Karasuno libero is getting their serves up more now, taking away their ability to pull a service ace. Even Semi, who (in Coach Washijou’s very correct and perfect reasoning) was only really useful for being a pinch server, is only getting one or two points in.

Oikawa usually doesn’t immediately fall into a monster serve in a game. He serves basically a spike, but to really hone in on it, he usually gives himself until the third set in a five set game. So not yet. But he has to resist the temptation as Karasuno overtakes them and inches their way, frustratingly, into a victory in the second set.

—

The third set is his time to shine, Oikawa tells himself. Their receivers will be used to his normal serve (which by itself is not normal) and the receives of their teammates, thinking this is as bad as it gets. Now, his job is to throw them off. Don’t give them comfort. Make them scramble.

One point in, and it’s his turn up to serve. He takes a few steps running start, jumps, and swings.

He hears the smash of the ball against their court before he can regain his balance with his feet on the ground. It’s in bounds — thank god, really, because sometimes when he’s too worked up it ends up landing too far back. Petty, he glances up into the stands with a smirk and curls his fingers in a cute wave.

Girls squeal, thinking it was meant for them, but it wasn’t. Who it was really meant for was slouched in his seat, white sweatshirt with the hood popped up, scowling at him.

_Hey, Iwa-chan. Watch this._

The Karasuno team stares into him as he restarts his process, probably hoping to cut him off this time. Oikawa smirks. Jumps.

Iwaizumi’s eyes on him are a fuel unlike he’s felt before, mixed with Kageyama across the net for the first time. Karasuno fails to get up his serve again.

Their serve rotation doesn’t change for six entire points.

—

“Hey, hey, Oikawa-kun~!” Tendou called, bounding up to the team huddle in between sets. “What an aggressive serve today! Break their hearts~!”

Oikawa laughed. When he first met Tendou, he had trouble getting used to him. But now, after having to play alongside him game after game for years, his antics were simply amusing, not off putting.

Semi scowled next to them both. “Don’t act like you didn’t let that little number 10 spike straight through you. You just stood there like an idiot.” Oikawa hummed as Tendou mimed an overdramatic “I’ve been killed” sequence.

“Semisemi-chan, be nice to Ten-kun,” Oikawa chastised, knowing it will only make the benchwarmer more irritable. After all, Oikawa is the one keeping both him and Shirabu from the starting setter title.

Shirabu… at the thought of the underclassmen, Oikawa suddenly felt eyes on him. He smiled through a defeated sigh. That kid would find anything wrong with how Oikawa played. Mess up even a little bit, and he would mentally beg Washijou to be switched in.

Still, Oikawa was about to start limiting his sets to Ushijima— they were entering the fourth set, and just in case (Oikawa doesn’t want to even consider that Tobio-chan could end up being a difficult challenge to overcome), he really needed the other boy to be able to keep up with a neck-in-neck final stretch. No doubt Shirabu would be silently throwing a fit the entire time.

He’s quickly brought back to the moment by Tendou laying himself onto Oikawa and whining, “Yeah, Semisemi, be nice to me!”

—

The fourth set, as Oikawa begrudgingly expects, is a lot tougher.

Karasuno seems to be right on their energy, revving up to go after that annoying middle blocker manages to shut out Ushijima. Ushijima! Jeez, if you’re gonna be such a powerful ace to demand all the sets your team can possibly give you, you better deliver— letting a scrawny first year whose main talent is height shut you down is simply embarrassing.

Ushijima seems to be getting frustrated, too, watching the score climb in Karasuno’s favor and definitely taking notice of the decline in sets. Karasuno seems to notice too, once again trying to force Ushijima into the receive.

Oikawa is becoming frustrated, too — Tendou is all over the place, and although he’s talented, Oikawa can’t account for unpredictability in his plans. Ushijima glaring him into sets isn’t exactly a calming force, either.

Something will give, eventually, and that comes with Ushijima’s deep — annoying — voice.

“Oikawa,” he began, lowly, but loud enough to capture the attention of their teammates and a few across the net, “if you do not fulfill your duty as setter and weaponize me as agreed, I will ask Coach to replace you with Shirabu. He understands my value.”

Oikawa felt his composure fall into dust within an instant. _How dare he?!_

“How dare you?!” he hissed, far past caring about his reputation and how literally _everyone_ was watching him, “Do you still have brain cells in there or have you not realized I’m doing this because of your value, you absolute buffoon of a spiker?!”

Oikawa stalked closer, lowering his voice as much as he can as it shakes with anger. “You’re running the risk of exhaustion and we both know it. How am I supposed to weaponize you during an inevitable fifth set if you can’t keep moving your fucking legs— do you want to be useless to me? Is that what you want, _Ushiwaka-chan? _”__

Ushijima’s face, barely lifted with surprise, fell into anger. To Karasuno, he probably looks emotionless still, but Oikawa specialized in reading people, and he knew that name would push the oaf’s buttons. It had been Oikawa’s name for Ushijima before they learned to get along, back when they first started high school.

“Oikawa—“

“Woah!”

Taken by surprise, both Oikawa and Ushijima stumbled as Tendou launched himself at them. Sufficiently stunned for a second, Tendou loudly complains, “Man, this match is so tough! We’ll get through, though, won’t we? Nationals is so close, I can almost remember last year looking at the face of that one kid from what was it, something with Tech in the name—“

“Thank you, Tendou,” Ushijima said, shortly. Oikawa glanced over at Coach, only to find those judgmental eyes were already on him.

“Yeah, thank you, Ten-kun,” Oikawa parroted and straightened himself back into his carefree exterior. “Let’s do this.”

—

Kageyama couldn’t believe his eyes. He was so lucky.

The last time he had seen Oikawa this worked up, he had almost gotten slapped in the face.

By now, the interaction was hushed, but Karasuno was still watching closely, Kageyama especially. Oikawa made him nervous — really, really nervous — but if Oikawa started slipping in the last two sets, he was confident they could steal this win from Shiratorizawa.

Karasuno was already in the lead for this set: 20-18.

—

Karasuno had taken the fourth set, but barely. Kageyama had overestimated exactly how much strain an argument would put on Shiratorizawa’s team dynamic.

With a final score of 30-28, they moved into the final state, but things for Karasuno started to look just as dire as they had in the first set.

The Guess Monster had gotten over his mid-game rut and seemed determined to “crush their spirits”. Though they weren’t impossible to break through, the redhead’s blocks were still a massive pain.

Tsukishima had just been taken out of the game because his fingers, previously wrapped to deal with Ushijima’s spikes, had dislocated. Kageyama was loathe to admit it to the asshole’s face, but his blocks were an asset Karasuno couldn’t really afford to lose right now.

And the fight between Oikawa and Ushijima felt like it had never happened. Oikawa was back to relying on Ushijima full force, and Kageyama finally realized what Ushijima had said about Oikawa months ago had been true.

Oikawa truly was a dedicated setter. He checked up on his teammates, cataloging how they were feeling, who was the most tired, what everyone’s limits were at. And thanks to his little stunt last set, Ushijima was at full fighting power still, most likely a calculated move from the setter.

On the other hand, Karasuno was struggling to keep going. Thank god the fifth set only went to fifteen points, because they probably wouldn’t make it to thirty before someone’s legs gave out.

Shiratorizawa had experience with five-set games though, and the advantage of a very full roster of prodigies and seasoned players. Even Oikawa probably had backup setters ready to go at a moment’s notice.

2-3.

5-7.

7-10.

_Fuck. The gap isn’t shrinking. This is bad—_

Kageyama tried to do a setter dump. He watched a practiced hand catch it before it had even cleared the net and push it back over.

“A piece of advice, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa began haughtily, “a setter dump is the easiest thing ever to deal with if you can see it coming. And you learned that move from me.”

Kageyama vocally growled.

“Watch and learn,” Oikawa cooed.

There’s no way, Kageyama thought, but sure enough, the next time Oikawa went to set a ball, he quickly tossed it over the net instead. It fell to the ground right in front of Kageyama as he dove for it and hit court before he could get it back up.

With frustration in his eyes, Kageyama looked up at his former mentor, if Oikawa would even call himself that (he wouldn’t). The older setter was grinning down at him.

7-12.

—

_Forgot how stressful it is to watch a match from the stands_ , Iwaizumi thought to himself, embarrassed to say it aloud when he was sitting on his own in a desolate corner of the crowded stadium. Shiratorizawa’s side.

Though he wasn’t as into volleyball as Oikawa, Iwaizumi still wished he was down there battling it out with Oikawa himself. Though their friendship had gone through a rough patch when Oikawa had ended up at Shiratorizawa without him, they had eventually gotten back to being as close as they had been growing up.

Along with their closeness had come a promise: they would always make it to the finals for each other— that way, no matter who won, one of them would make it to nationals.

The truth is, Iwaizumi always knew innately that Oikawa (and Shiratorizawa) was better. They went to nationals every year after defeating Aoba Johsai. But he still felt that rush, the competitiveness and need to prove himself that Oikawa always managed to draw out from him.

_I’m still good enough for you._

And now, he felt an anxiety alien to him. Never before had he doubted Oikawa’s abilities on the court. Even at nationals, Shiratorizawa managed to do very well with Oikawa there to lead them. But he thought back to fighting (and losing) against Karasuno himself the day before, the gleam in all of their eyes, the monster first years and combos, and the anxiety burrowed into his stomach.

The decision to sacrifice the fourth set was a calculated one, but risky nonetheless. It seemed Oikawa knew that better than anyone from the way his face zeroed in on the ball every time it got pushed into play.

Karasuno was tiring, and the fifth set’s long rallies led to a widening point gap.

And although Iwaizumi was here to root for his best friend, since he couldn’t be there for Oikawa in the way he wanted to be, he still found himself not wanting to watch the crows fall, either.

—

The final ball fell.

Kageyama watched it roll off the court. He had tried so hard, come so far, and yet.

“Oikawa,” a deep, monotone voice called. But the person it called was not listening.

“You should listen to your senpai more, Tobio-chan. I told you this would happen,” Oikawa tutted, taking a step back as his teammates celebrated behind him.

In the end, it wasn’t enough. Kageyama felt almost numb, but his eyes were stinging.

Oikawa turned his back on him, joining his teammates in a cheering huddle. Sugawara gently offered his hand, and when it became clear Kageyama wouldn’t take it, pulled him up by the wrist instead; together, they solemnly walked back to their team.

The feeling of second place was so new.

—

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr at @vriskawa. 
> 
> you’re all very cool PLS leave me a comment i haven’t posted my fanfic since 2018 and i want feedback


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